How to make faster Fills, and build Stamina

[Irish614]

Hey guys, lately I've noticed I'm not as fast as I used to be ( mostly because everyone in my band is at college now so we take a 3-4 month break) and I can't play as long/hard as I can with the band. I'm looking for some techniques to keep my speed up and increase stamina- sounds like a viagra commercial haha. I've been playing for 15 years- self taught, so that means I don't know all the tricks of the trade. Usually I do my stretches and slam my drums. Any Ideas? Thanks

[brandondrury]

Hmm. If it were me with guitar (which I'm WAAAAYYY out of shape on) I'd fire up a drum track that gradually increased in speed over the course of 30 minutes.

If I were you, I'd do the same with a click track. Maybe even lay some guitar tracks to play too?

Brandon

[Irish614]

never even thought of doing that. I'll have my buddy lay down some guitar tracks and loop them for an hour or more progressively getting faster. Sweet. Oh yea and btw I recorded with the Audix d6- i will post the sound clips soon.

[brandondrury]

never even thought of doing that. I'll have my buddy lay down some guitar tracks and loop them for an hour or more progressively getting faster

Make sure the click is loud. Your fast fills are useless if they are out of time. I think practicing to a click track is REQUIRED for all instruments. You can figure out your recording preferences later.

Oh yea and btw I recorded with the Audix d6- i will post the sound clips soon.

Great, I want to hear it!

Brandon

[samccart]

Just a suggestion, but since you are self-taught have you considered lessons? There are some pretty good technique lessons on youtube for drummers, anything from rudiments to complex fill compostion. Ive been playing most of 34 years now but after a hiatus I found myself in your situation. The rust on my wrists wouldnt come off with steel wool! 20-30 min a day (no longer than every other day) of practice for stick control and speed is essential to slight improvement. Any less than this and you are moving backwards. After 8 months of playing I am about where I was 25 years ago, shame but at least its the right direction! The guys take a break for school? Look for sit in gigs or jam sessions to keep you fresh and networking with other musicians! Good luck, happy drumming, keep us posted!

[DT Chris]

Hmm, to be a bastard, I'd say if a band tells each other "We're taking a break for school" or "Taking the winter off" or otherwise, it's usually because they don't want to play with one another anymore.

Other than that, the only way to build stamina and keep it is to play - with anyone and everyone. If you want to play music, and your 'band' doesn't, go find another one.

I'm very rusty on my vocals (at least the harder stuff) and with guitar (since I don't play live with it yet regularly), the only cure is to play, play, play. It doesn't take long to get back into shape once you do, but I know how it feels when you're not at 100% simply because there's noone to play/jam/perform with

[POP'S Studio]

Hay this is POP"S. I am a guitarist also. I try to pick up my guitar ever day and play. Try to put your guitar in the room that you are in most or what ever you play so when you walk in to that room it's the first thing you see. My guitar is out in a room so that ever time i see it i have to pick it up and pick for a hour or so. I have been playing for 42 year's and i still love to play. I think the key is you have to have that love to play in you. Have a great day. POP"S

[keving]

are you using a practice pad?
a lot of them these days are double sided, one side with more bounce than a normal head and one thats more dead. take advantage of the both so that on the dead side, even without the rebound you learn to get your speed up and with the exaggerated side you learn to control your stick bounce. also brushing up on techniques that conserve energy and things like the mechanics of motion will help you to keep your speed and consistency up with less effort. though this one most drummers may not even bother to try, mess with the way your kit is setup. you may find a way to make it more ergonmic to your playing style and comfortable. "work smart, not hard"

Kevin

[KeyserSoze]

I've been just playing along with tunes on my ipod. All types of stuff, Meshuggah to T.I.

Anything that's in time is good to play with. You don't have to play what's on the CD, nothing even close. The best thing I can think of for endurance and speed is prolonged single strokes. RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRL and to save time and maximize efficiency I do them on the bass and snare at the same time. Do those for 20-45 minutes a day and let them get faster on their own. Don't push it, let them get faster gradually. If you live with anyone they will want you to get a practice setup ASAP. I'm going to put a mesh head on a free bass drum I have so that my g/f won't break up with me over the practicing.

[ferguson66]

I practice with a click EVERY day for at least 30 minutes. I just play a click in my headphones and do some beats and make up fills as I go. This not only helps me with my timing, but makes me be more creative with fills and builds muscle memory and stamina. I also hit the practice pad every day with rudiments, paradiddles, double strokes, etc.

Need some cool and productive things to work on? Go to onlinedrummer.com. TONS of free new beats, rudiment lessons and educational videos.